By Mark Floyd, Oregon State University News and Research Communications

A survey funded by Oregon Sea Grant has found that more than 80 percent of respondents from the west coast shellfish industry are convinced that ocean acidification is having consequences on production—a figure more than four times higher than the general public's perception, researchers say.

Eighty-six participants in Oregon, Washington, and California responded to the survey, with about half saying they have already experienced some impact from ocean acidification. Other findings included:

Of those who said they have been affected by ocean acidification, 97 percent reported financial damage and 68 percent reported emotional stress due to acidification.

Most respondents felt that ocean acidification was happening globally (85 percent), along the U.S. west coast (86 percent), and in their local estuary (84 percent).

"The shellfish industry recognizes the consequences of ocean acidification for people today—and for future generations—to a far greater extent than the U.S. public," said Rebecca Mabardy, a former OSU graduate student and lead author of the report. "The good news is that more than half of the respondents expressed optimism—at least, guarded optimism—for the industry's ability to adapt to acidification."

Ocean acidification makes it harder for coral, phytoplankton, shellfish, and other marine organisms to build their shells and skeletal structures. Shellfish larvae are especially sensitive to acidified waters during critical, early life-stage development.

"Many have seen the negative effects of acidified water on the survival of their juvenile oysters—and those who have experienced a direct impact obviously have a higher degree of concern about the issue," said OSU marine ecologist George Waldbusser, lead investigator on the study. "Others are anticipating the effects of acidification and want to know just what will happen, and how long the impacts may last."

"Because of some of the success we've had in helping some hatcheries adapt to changing conditions, there is a degree of optimism that the industry can adapt," added Waldbusser, who was Mabardy's mentor in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (CEOAS) at OSU.

In the 44-question survey, shellfish industry leaders were asked who should take the lead in responding to the challenges of acidification. Their strong preference was the shellfish industry itself, followed by academic researchers. A majority said that any governmental regulations should be led by federal agencies, followed by the state and then local government.

"As a whole, the industry felt that they should be working closely with the academic community on acidification issues," Waldbusser said. "In the spirit of full disclosure, there were some people who reported a distrust of academics—though without any specifics—so we clearly have some work to do to establish credibility with that subset of the industry."

"One thing that came out of this survey is that we learned that not only is the shellfish industry experiencing and acknowledging ocean acidification," Mabardy said, "they are committed to learning about the issue and its implications for their business. They want to share their insights as they are forced into action.

"The next step is to continue shifting conversations about ocean acidification from acknowledgment of the problem toward solution-oriented strategies," she added.

Oregon Sea Grant has supported the work of Waldbusser and others studying ocean acidification, investing nearly $1.4 million in NOAA research dollars in seven projects since 2010.